Field
The present invention relates to a cleaning, disinfecting, care and/or sterilization device for medical or dental instruments. In particular, the invention relates to an improved cleaning, disinfecting, care and/or sterilization device ensuring secure communication between such a device and accessories remotely connected to the device.
Description of Prior Art
The cleaning, disinfecting, care and/or sterilization device, also referred to as reprocessing device in the following, as described herein is understood to refer to devices which execute or enable a sanitizing or cleaning treatment for medical or dental instruments, in particular with water, steam, compressed air and/or a cleaning agent, a disinfection treatment, such as thermal disinfection, a care treatment by introducing a lubricant, such as oil, and/or a sterilization treatment, in particular by steam.
The treated medical instruments preferably serve to process hard or soft tissue or for inserting implants. They comprise hollow bodies in which drive mechanism and/or supply lines for the drive mechanism are placed. Further, they are preferably designed as medical handpieces or contra-angle handpieces. After the operation of the medical instruments they have to be cleaned, disinfected and/or sterilized. Also maintenance of the medical instruments is required in regular intervals.
The cleaning, disinfecting, care and/or sterilization devices usually comprise housings, treatment chambers and several machine components, such as pumps, steam generators, condensers, heating elements, filters, electric motors, sealings, sensors, compressors, and operating elements, such as switches or displays, control units and/or supply elements, such as energy or media supply units. Accessories, such as racks and/or trays for holding the medical instruments, a printer for archiving treatment reports, a pouch sealing device, a water supply and/or distiller, adapters for the instruments, test kits to evaluate the reprocessing process, evaluation units, dental units and/or remote displays, are often connected to the reprocessing device and communicate with the device by a wire connection to transfer data and signals from the accessory to the reprocessing device.
Such a cleaning or maintenance apparatus for medical, in particular dental instruments is described in particular in the patent application EP 2 422 744 A1, which is incorporated herein by reference. The cleaning or maintenance apparatus comprises at least one cleaning cartridge for holding the medical instruments and in particular connecting the medical instruments to a media supply of the apparatus.
Further, the patent application WO 2015/049003 A1 describes a device for washing, disinfecting and/or sterilizing medical, dental, laboratory and/or pharmaceutical goods, which comprises an accessory for the device, in particular a touch screen display, which can be remotely connected to the device, e.g., via a wire or a wireless connection. The remote connection is performed over a wireless network to which both the display and the device for washing, disinfecting and/or sterilizing medical goods are connected.
The advantage of this device for washing, disinfecting and/or sterilizing medical goods is that the device can communicate with an accessory, in particular with a mobile phone, which is remotely connected to the device. Using the mobile phone process parameters or process states can be remotely displayed to the user. Further, the user is enabled to remotely control the washing, disinfecting, care or sterilization device without the need to stay next to the reprocessing device for operating the device.